Elmer George Musser was born at Chicago, Cook County, Illinois on December 5, 1917. His parents were Joseph Musser (9 Dec 1876 – 26 Aug 1966), who was born in Austria and immigrated to America in 1903; and Anna (Hauptmann) Musser (13 Jul 1888 – 14 Dec 1941), who was born at Chicago, Illinois. His parents married about 1910, and his father was employed building Pullman railroad cars. He had five siblings: Joseph Raymond Musser (1911 – 1985) (called Raymond); John Francis Musser Sr ( 1913 – 1987); Florence Maria (Musser) Harlan (1915 – 1999); Richard Leroy Musser (1920 – 2000); and Madeline Bernice (Musser) Edmonds (1922 – 1977). The family home was at 2048 West 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois, his home of record.

He graduated from Lindblom Technical High School in Chicago (located about one-half mile south of the family home) and worked as an apprentice machinist in a steel mill. He registered for the draft at Chicago on October 16, 1940. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 130 pounds, and had gray eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived with his parents and worked for Acme Metal Products on West 74th Street in Chicago. He was single when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Camp Grant in Rockford, Winnebago County, Illinois on November 10, 1941.

He completed Army Air Forces flight engineer and aerial gunnery training, and was assigned to the heavy bomber crew of 2/Lt Thomas Womer. In December 1943 the Womer crew began B-24 crew training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona. In January 1944 the Womer crew was assigned to the 838th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico. There they completed B-24 crew training, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. They flew B-24H 42-52662 overseas from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

After arrival at Station 137, S/Sgt Musser and four of his original crewmates (Boyd, Lumpkin, Kussy, and Rosenberger) were reassigned to the crew of Lt Arthur D. Erwin in the 838th Bomb Squadron.

S/Sgt Musser and seven of his crewmates were killed in action on June 20, 1944 when their aircraft, B-24H 42-95217, was shot down by flak on the mission to bomb an oil refinery at Misburg near Hannover, Germany. Just after bombs away, the aircraft received a direct flak hit which tore off the tail. The aircraft spun to the ground in flames and crashed five kilometers north of Hannover. The bodies of eight crew members were found in the wreckage. The dead were buried initially at the military cemetery in Hannover-Limmer. S/Sgt Ross, the tail gunner, was able to bail out and landed at Mecklenheide near Hannover. He was captured there and became a prisoner of war.

S/Sgt Musser's remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Evergreen Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Cook County, Illinois on May 28, 1949.

B-24H 42-95217 crew:
• Erwin, Arthur D – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Mass, Rubie R – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Mackie, Thomas S – 2/Lt – Bombardier – KIA
• Musser, Elmer G – S/Sgt – Engineer – KIA
• Boyd, Leslie L – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Lumpkin, Claude L – S/Sgt – Nose Turret Gunner – KIA
• Kussy Jr, Leroy S – Sgt – Top Turret Gunner – KIA
• Rosenberger, Jearold F – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – KIA
• Ross, Albert L – S/Sgt – Tail Turret Gunner – POW

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com